When Drake was still a little baby in my arms, I wondered about what kind of person he would grow up to be. What would his interests be? What career path would he eventually choose? Would he get married? Have a family? I dreamt of a beautifully colored future for him from the safety of his nursery windows. Here was this little person entrusted in my care, and it was my job to teach him not only about the world, but also his place in it.

As a parent I have learned , through many humorous and horrifying experiences, that children are really blank slates. As an adult many things are second nature and obvious to us — you look both ways before crossing the street, when babies are sleeping it’s best to be quiet, eating your sibling’s toenail clippings is generally frowned on by general society, and so on. Many times I have found myself saying things I never thought I would say…or needed to be said (toenail clippings for one). Parenting is an unending job as you teach your little ones basic skills to abstract concepts and everything else under the sun. With that comes a lot of weight in realizing what kind of person you hope to raise, and what lessons you value most and want to instill in your child, whether it be great care for the environment, academic achievement or a strong foundation in religion.

I learned the most important thing I wanted to teach my children through a very simple yet humorous way. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I have loved the book series since its inception and even converted a reluctant Mr. Chocolate. Both of us are dying to share our love of the stories with our children, as well as spending a child-free day roaming Diagon Alley in Universal one day. So when J. K. Rowling created her online site Pottermore a few years back, I was there in a flash. I will confess that in my years of reading the series, I have always imagined myself to be a Ravenclaw. So imagine how pleased I was when this was confirmed by the sorting quiz Pottermore offered.

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Time and life passed and then one day I read that the Pottermore Sorting Quiz was back. Apparently it had been taken down for some time and tweaked, and now you would be resorted according to the new quiz. Although I knew I was a Ravenclaw through and through, I was once again eager to try the new sorting quiz to reaffirm this. I was so confident in my knowledge of where I belonged, I was shocked when the word Hufflepuff came flashing up on my screen. Surely something was wrong! I mean Hufflepuff was well…let’s face it — the really uncool house. It was basically the place you stick everyone else who didn’t make it into the better houses.

After the sorting I was magically transported to the Hufflepuff homepage within Pottermore where articles describing the house popped up. Though I was still quite aghast about what had just transpired, I happened to read something that stuck out with me. In Rowling’s description of each house she designates each house a trait —  Gryffindors are brave, Ravenclaws clever, Slytherins cunning, and Hufflepuffs kind.

Kind. As I turned over that word in my mind, I realized how important such a simple concept it really was. In this age of bullying, the use of hurtful words under the guise of anonymity, and cruelness to those that are different than us, I realized that more than anything else I wanted to raise children who were kind. I want them to take care with their words and actions, to know that harsh words have deep roots and little cruel remarks have rippling effects. I want them to stand up for those who can’t even at the sake of their own popularity. I want them in any and all situations to be kind.

I think at the end of my days if I can say I raised kind children, ones that spread kindness and exemplify it in their actions and words, who have taught their own children the importance of being kind, then I have succeeded.

And with that I do proudly embrace the idea of being a Hufflepuff. I honestly wouldn’t want to be anywhere else anymore.